Current reading, late October 2025 edition

[vivdunstan]

Took an earlier screenshot of this than planned as I was just checking my new USB-C to USB-C cable works with my Kindle + OpenMTP for data transfer. So much more convenient to have direct USB-C to USB-C than the provided USB-C to USB-A cable then needing a USB-A to USB-C dongle to plug it into my USB-C Mac laptop port ...

Comments

[a_cubed]

We've managed to keep up with A Night in the Lonesome October reading to $OFFSPRING each night. A few very short chapters and a few very long ones, but we've managed it so far.
I also bought a copy of the Japanese version for $WIFE.

[vivdunstan]

I haven't managed every night - too exhausted when reading time came a few times - so have had a few catch up reads afterwards. But generally I'm doing good with it, and enjoying reading it slowly, allowing me to enjoy it alongside another novel if I can manage that. The T. Kingfisher was one of Martin's picks for my birthday last month, and that's sitting nicely alongside Snuff and co.

[a_cubed]

While I'm reading A Night in the Lonesome October to $OFFSPRING, she's reading The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde to me. (Sequel to THe Big Over-Easy). That features the mass murderer The Gingerbread Man going on a rampage after escaping from St Cerebellum's Asylum for the Criminally Insane. The Defensive Baking one might be an interesting follow-up to that. coth has reviewed many T. Kingfisher books quite highly, so I might give this, or one of their others, a try sometime.

[vivdunstan]

I haven't read any of those Jasper Fforde books, but I did read a lot of his Thursday Next novels.

Defensive Baking is fun. The only other T. Kingfisher I've read is "The Twisted Ones", which is a very spooky horror inspired by/reworking an Arthur Machen tale. I have a lot of her other fantasy books waiting to read on my Kindle though.

[a_cubed]

There's a similarity with the Nursery Crimes Division books and A Night in the Lonesome October (as well as the Thursday Next books). They all include lots of references to other literature. In the NCD books it's mostly to other detective works, from Sherlock (obv) to Morse (Inspector Moose) and Miss Marple (Miss Maple). As well as the nursery rhyme/fairy tale stuff which is the core inspiration.

[vivdunstan]

Thanks!